"Words at WAM," the literary open mic program hosted by Hazel & Wren and WAM Collective, will be back at the Weisman Art Museum on Wednesday. Sign-up starts at 6 p.m., with readings at 7 p.m. It's first come, first read, so getting there early is probably a good idea.

You can read whatever you like — your latest love poem, your diary entries, a few pages of that Ayn Rand biography you've been working on for the past 15 years — but you get only four minutes and a 30-second grace period. After that, prepare to get pelted off the stage by a sea of hurled paperbacks.

Featured readers will be Katie Sisneros and Dobby Gibson.

Also …

• The teenage diary of F. Scott Fitzgerald, once available only in a limited edition, has been edited by Dave Page and published by the University of Minnesota Press. "The Thoughtbook of F. Scott Fitzgerald" will launch at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at the James J. Hill House in conjunction with Fitzgerald's 117th birthday party (Fitzgerald will not be there) and the launching of a nonprofit, Fitzgerald in St. Paul, which will promote the author's legacy. Reservations are required for this free event; call 651-297-2555. Other events for the "Thoughtbook": 7 p.m. Oct. 8 at SubText in St. Paul; 7 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Minnesota History Center, and 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis.

• Colin Nelson will launch his latest book, "Flashover," at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Magers & Quinn. Nelson is the author of two other suspense novels, "Reprisal" and "Fallout," all published by North Star Press.

• The 14th annual celebration of Minnesota children's authors and illustrators will take place from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Anderson Center in Red Wing. Anne Ursu, Mary Logue, Betsy Bowen, Derek Anderson, David LaRochelle and many others will read and sign books, and there will also be face-painting, balloon sculpting, puppets, ice cream and other activities for kids. All free.

• "I Did It My Way: A Remarkable Journey to the Hall of Fame," by Bud Grant and Jim Bruton, with forewords by Sid Hartman and Fran Tarkenton, has been published by Triumph Books. Grant is former coach of the Minnesota Vikings; Bruton is the author of many other books. They will sign books at noon Friday at Barnes & Noble in downtown Minneapolis.